Method of making footwear



July 23, 1946. R. MALING 2,404,586

A METHOD OF MAKING FOOTWEAR I v Filed Deb. 9, 1944 2 Shets-Shet 1 R. MALING July 23,, 1946.

METHOD OF MAKIN FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. '9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hyi IN V EN TOR.

Patented July 23, 1946 UNITED [STATES PATENT OFFICE V t g 2,404,586 4 :MEIHQDQFMAKING FOOTWEAR Roy Ma ina, West Roxbury, Mass.

,Applipatiqnllecember 9, 1944, Serial No. 567,362 (01. 12 -142) I 1 Claim.

This invention relates v te improvements in-shoemaking methods and shoe structures produced thereby.

. Shoesn adeaccording toconventional s0.cal1ed slip=lasted methods have certain manufacturing advantages as compared with shoes having regularly lasted uppersin that various manufacturipg economies may be availedof, and a slip-lasted product usually has superior qualities otflexibility as compared with regularly lasted footwear. I I owever-, a slip-lastedupper, especially a leather upper, cannot practically be made to fit an inser ted last with thennicetyand uniform tightness that is attainable, when theu-pper ispulled over a last and made to conform 'precisely'to the last contour. m

It is-an object of-my present-invention to provide a method of m aking shoes whichcombines certain advantageous features of both-slip-lasted and regularly lasted procedures in that an inner pper ru ure c mpri i a linin and's k-l ning is comp etely slip-l ed anclt u per proper is completely regularly-[lasted overtheslipasted inner t eetre af e a last. has been slipped into the inner str-ucture '3 1 A o h r b ect s t pr vide'asho ructure ha ng 1 ,completel slip-last d; lining; nd; sock lin s'in cr uppe and. a mpletely re ulr asted out r p r un t. r 1

A further object is; to provide in a-shoe structure. a complete inner sock; pre-stitched throughout whiler freo of alast,jtorwhoseztopaedge the shoe, upper is. Stitched alliaround the :foot 4 opening in a conventional manner, whereby sai'dup'perbecomes. anchored on a last slipped into the inner sock, for an effective lasting of the upper all around the shoe.

Still another object is to provide a shoe structure having a lining and sock lining stitched together to provide a complete sock whil the lining is free of a last, and having a layer of cush ioning material applied, after insertion of a last in the sock, in covering relation to the under surface of the sock lining for constituting an insole and filler to which the upper may be lasted Yet another object is to. provide a slip-lasted inner sock from which the upper is suspended and over which, while on an inserted last, the upper may be lasted throughout the extent of theupper.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve upon prior shoe-making methods and prior shoe structures, especially shoes of the so-called slip-lasted variety.

In the accompanying drawings:

sorted in the prestitched lining and sock lining.

unit, and with the upper lasted over upon an in sole and filler unit; a Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through a modified shoe structure on a last prior .to lasting of the upper; I Figure 5 is a bottom plan View of the-bottom. of the shoe of Figure 4- prior to applyingof-the insole and fillerlayer; t Figure 6 is across-sectional view on-;line 66=i of. Eigurefi; q

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional ;view simila-rto 11'86 but showing; a, counter ihed to the lining; Figure 8.. is a cross-sectional. view similar to Figures 6' and? '7. but: having an exterior" pocket: element stitched, to: the; upper which latter has no lining, the pocket element having a lasting'allow-- for lasting the rear; part of the pper; and Figure-9- is; a side elevation of an. open toe shoe having; a. counter pocket on the; lining; on its; side which;istowardtheuppen, Referring: to, the: drawings, the: lining I10: may be. of fabric: or other. suitabl'evshoe lining material: and; in :Figs'. '1-3 is; showzrrstitched' at IFZZ to. a sock lining H all aroundjthe shoeto' providera complete sock into which; a: last may I be inserted after the stitching of lining to sock lining has been accomplished.

The upper I6 is preliminarily stitched at l8 to the lining around the foot opening in a conventional manner so that the upper, after a last has been inserted in the sock, is suspended loosely from the lining on the last but is anchored at the top stitch line I8 so that every part thereof may be drawn to last shape by regular lasting procedures and turned over upon the sock lining M, or preferably, uponan insole and filler layer 20 of cushioning material. This layer 20 may be a relatively thin sheet of sponge rubber oneeighth of an inch in thickness, for example, or it may be a plastic substance, such as a cork composition or the like, spread over the under surface of the sock lining I4 and allowed to set or partially set prior to lasting of the upper. In any case, however, the layer 20 will be readily flexible and pliable as compared withflconvenpocket felement parts of the upper;

- itional relatively stiflf insoles which heretofore V .have been necessary adjuncts to a lasted forepart. According to my invention, the insole filler layer 20 does not need to be stiff for the lasting because the lining and sock lining preliminarily are secure in their covering relation to a last "inserted therein, the insole filler layer 20 being 1 primarily a cushion between the lasted over portions of the upper and the relatively thin sock forepart.

V The rear part of the shoe may have a counter 22 inserted between the slip-lasted inner sock and the loose suspended upper, a y desired stiffening element 24 being embodied between the socklining I 4 and the counter flange 23 over which 'the upper is turned in the lasting of the rear Obviously, if desired, a -j counter pocket may-be provided on thelining In by stitching-asheet 26 to its inner surface as in Fig.1, or to its outer surface as in Fig. 9, the 1 pocket extending throughout the portion'of rear part which is to be stilfened by a counter, the underside of thepocket'beingleft open for insertion of a counter. In this case the lining is freeof the sock lining at the rear part of the -j 1 .-;slioe so that the loose part of the sock lining may cover the counter flange as indicated in Fig. 1 *7; which shows such an interiorcounter pocket on the lining l0. Asshown, both the'upper l6 and its lining l have lasting allowance-so that 1 both may be lasted over upon the counter flange.

Similarly, a counter pocket may be provided 3 exteriorly of the upper l6, as shownjin Fig.6,"

1 by stitchingfl'a strip 25 to the exterior surface l of the upper I 6, and leaving the under side of Z th'e'pocket open for reception of a counter between the upper 16- and the strip 25. In this case, the upper may be a' fabric-lined sheet 7 material requiring no separate lining, and it may j terminate at the under plane or the'socklining, g the pocket strip ZS-having lasting allowance for i thelasting of rear'parts of the shoe. 1

Although the construction illustrated in Figs.

; 1-3Iprovides an effective and economical shoe I which can have superior qualities of flexibility at 1 the forepart in conjunction with adequate supporting stiffness at the rearpart, the lining l0 does not-:neecl to be stitched to the sock lining |4 allaround the shoe. 'In' the constructions of Figs. 4-7' and 9, the lining and sock lining are L stitched together only around the'forepart'and the sock lining projects rearward free of the lining. Preferably the free rear part of the sock lining covers a stiffener element 28 at the rear part, having its marginal edge portion turned over the edges of the stiffener 28 and cemented to its under side as shown in Figs. 4, 6, '7 and V 8. This enables the sock-lining-covered stiffener 28 to be swung out of the way for inserting a counter in any of the ways heretofore suggested and then the covered stifiener 28 may be moved into covering relation to the counter flange, interiozrly of the shoe and prior, to insertion of a last therein, over which and the counter flange the upper may be eliectively lasted, and the covered stiffener 28 provides a finished base surface interiorly of the lasted shoe. 7

Any desired sole and heel structure may be appl ed to my lasted upper, preferably by cement, although a suitablewelt strip (not shown) might be provided all around the shoe by means of which an'outsole might be stitched on according tures of my present invention-relate to improvements 1n the upper structure and that any desired and suitable base structure may be applied thereto.

My herein'disclosed method and structure provide shoes which can be made insubstantial part by economical slip-lasted procedures and Whose uppers 'inay bef lasted throughout to attain the advantages which are well knownatt'ri butes of a lasted upper, but embodying-at the forepart"qualities of flexibility not heretofore attainable ina shoe so far as I'am aware.

I' claim as my invention: 7 The'method of making a shoe upperstructure comprising the steps of stitching an upper and liningtogether' at their edges'wh'ich are'tobe uppermost in the shodj's'titchingth'e lining to'a' sock lining all around the edges of the'flatterthereby to'provide a complete sock from'whose top edge the' 'upper is loosely suspended, inserting V a counter'between the lining and uppr at the rear part of the shoe, followed by'inserting'a last in the pre stitc'hed sock to s1ip-1ast;the sock, and then applying asheet layer of pliable ma-j 7 teria1'to-theunder side of the sock lining; and

lasting-the upper over upon the sheet layer all aroundthe extent of e pperj I I ROYMALVING.

having a lasted; forepart, 

